If you're worried about your winter bill you might be able to talk to your gas provider about spreading the cost through the whole year via a monthly DD (assuming you don't already). You could look on comparison sites to make sure you've got the cheapest provider and, if not, then consider switching. If you have gas & electric with the same company there are often savings. Then there are measures you can take at home to keep the costs down... turning down the room/hot water tank thermostats & dressing more warmly, wall/roof/window insulation etc. Good luck

Cuttleshocks I am a single mum and watching the pennies too. I'm with British Gas and am able to enter my reading online and it tells me how much gas/electric I have used and then predicts what my bill will be. I'm finding this a great help. It's the energy smart whatsit so I also have an electricity monitor so can keep an eye on that too. I also pay by direct debit so during the summer months my account will be in credit meaning I will be able to afford the heating in winter.

No love, I didn't have to pay. I have also invested in electric blankets and me and dd go to bed early, snuggle up in my bed and watch tv, read or play games until her bed time. I don't need the heating on at all then so they have been a good investment. When I am downstairs I have an old single duvet that I use when I'm sat down and that does the trick. Also, it's amazing how much warmer your house feels if you come back in after a walk so I try to get out for an hour every day, sometimes twice a day!!

Try Uswitch - I work for a call centre selling utilities and we have just been told that Uswitch is the best one for being unbiased.

Are you on prepay? Get with a company that doesn't charge you extra, and I would recommend finding one that hasn't put it's prices up, then getting on a capped price plan as they will probably all end up going up.